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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows dry reeds on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a wooden pier on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a wooden pier on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a mural depicting a landscape painted on a concrete wall near Sharafkhaneh port at Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows dry grass and the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a rusty sign next to a wooden pier on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a shallow stream near a rocky cliff on the bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a wooden pier on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows tire tracks running alongside a shallow stream on the bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

Salt formations cover the cracked surface of the dried bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A discarded tire sits near dry reeds on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

Remnants of a boat sit on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A shepherd guides a flock of sheep on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A car drives near a rocky cliff on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A rusty boat sits next to a road near Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a wooden pier on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A man and two children stand near a car and a rocky cliff on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows rows of wooden posts protruding from the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows murals depicting nature scenes painted on concrete walls near Sharafkhaneh port at Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a wooden pier on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows reflections on the surface of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 18, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A car drives on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows a mural depicting a landscape painted on a concrete wall near Sharafkhaneh port at Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows rows of wooden posts protruding from the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

Salt formations cover the cracked surface of the dried bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

Remains of a boat sits near the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 20, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A car drives on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows the dry bed of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 19, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Environmental Disaster - Iran

A view shows scattered rocks and shallow water in parts of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran on December 18, 2025. Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has dramatically shrunk due to prolonged drought, the damming of rivers feeding the lake, and extensive groundwater extraction in the surrounding area. Although increased rainfall and water diversion briefly helped restore water levels in 2019, renewed drought and administrative mismanagement in the early 2020s reversed the trend, and satellite imagery shows the lake has almost entirely dried up by September 2025. Photo by Morteza Aminoroayayi/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Abadoned ships due to the climate change effected to the lake. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Two Iranian-Azerbaijani man cleans each other in the steambath near village. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 2, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A group of Iranian women stage a performance on the dry bed of Urmia Lake to draw attention to climate change crises. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A group of Iranian women stage a performance on the dry bed of Urmia Lake to draw attention to climate change crises. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A group of Iranian women stage a performance on the dry bed of Urmia Lake to draw attention to climate change crises. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A group of Iranian women stage a performance on the dry bed of Urmia Lake to draw attention to climate change crises. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Residents of the countryside villages gathered to spend time in a cafe. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 2, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 1, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A group of Iranian women stage a performance on the dry bed of Urmia Lake to draw attention to climate change crises. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A group of Iranian women stage a performance on the dry bed of Urmia Lake to draw attention to climate change crises. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 4, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM